Leaving Me Breathless
by Swimfan13413
Summary: Set a year and a half after Edward leaves. As Bella and Jacob fill out invitations to her upcoming graduation party, Bella debates her relationship with Jake. And what happens when some uninvited and unexpected guests show up to said party?
1. Invitations

"_I won't put you through anything like this again…it will be as if I'd never existed."_

**Yeah. Right.**

Clearly he didn't know me very well, not even then. As if he never existed? As if this world could be spinning without him in it? Silly vampire. He should have known better.

The hole in my chest rippled slightly as I thought of him. My breath caught in my throat and I clenched my teeth together as I waited for the pain to pass. It was bearable now. Not completely gone, but time had healed me.

Okay, maybe that was overstating things. I still couldn't think _his _name or the names of hisfamily members without the hole threatening to rip itself apart. But Jacob had mended me. Time had let me lick my wounds. I was surviving. Not really living, but surviving. That is all I wanted out of life anymore. I didn't need to be happy; I knew that that was a lost cause. I did however, have the choice to make Jacob happy. And happiness is all that I wanted for my best friend.

Jacob had found some thread and a needle and began to sew up the hole, slowly but surely. He loved me. And I loved him. In a way. It would never be as much as I loved _him_ – the way that took my breath away, the way that rendered me speechless with just one look, just one touch- but it was enough. Jacob accepted me for who I was, who I am, even with my jagged edges.

I was broken. And he didn't care.

My heart did a little sputter as I thought about Jacob, my best friend. It had taken me awhile to get to this point. It had been a year and a half since, well since _he _had left. While I wasn't in love with Jacob, I did love him. I loved how he managed to make me laugh, even when I just wanted to sob out all of my pain. I loved how he could brighten an entire room with just one smile. Most of all, I loved how no matter what, he managed to take away the pain, the misery. I would never forget _him _but maybe he was right. Maybe I could move on. That was what _he_ wanted, right? It would make Jacob happy as well, if I just let him love me.

I sighed aloud as my thoughts and doubts battled in my head for the umpteenth time in the last year and a half. I wondered idly if it would hurt too badly if I jabbed a pencil into my temple. Probably. Ugh.

"Bella, what are you doing?" Jacob asked suddenly.

We were sitting at my kitchen table filling out last minute invitations to my graduation party. Yeah. Definitely not my idea. Unfortunately, Charlie and Renee were under the impression that every graduate should celebrate with a party. If you asked me, I'd tell you that I was sick and tired of everyone telling me that I couldn't miss out on certain experiences. First prom, and now this? Would anyone ever show me some mercy?

The hole rippled again painfully. _Focus Bella_, I chided myself. _You know you don't want to go down that road, especially not in front of Jacob._

"Hello! Earth to Bells. Anyone home?" Jacob said louder, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Oh, sorry Jake. I was spacing out. What were you saying?"

"I was just asking what you were doing. Were you planning to give yourself a splinter?" Jacob asked, gesturing to my right hand. It was clenched tight around my pencil, knuckles white.

"Oh sorry, " I said, dropping the pencil immediately.

"Is everything okay?" He asked cautiously, placing his huge, heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, everything's good. I just have a lot on my mind lately."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

**Yes.**

"No. I'm good." I said quickly. "Did you finish your part of the list?"

"Yeah." He said, frowning slightly. "I still don't understand why _we _have to fill out these stupid invitations. You don't even want to have this party."

"Charlie threatened to have Billy lock you in your room if I didn't fill them out. He wanted to be sure that everyone I wanted to be there was there. And since you're my best friend, you get suckered into this. Because really, I would rather _not_ spend all of my free time alone, while you were locked in a bedroom."

I sighed mentally. There would be one person that wouldn't be there. The only person that I wanted to be there. The only person that would make this miserable party bearable.

_Shut up, Bella! He doesn't want you anymore. Give it up already! _I scolded myself again.

I heard Jake grumble something unintelligible that sounded somewhat vulgar. I was pretty sure "filthy bloodsuckers" was involved, however. I winced slightly. He noticed, as always.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"It's okay." I mumbled.

"So, do you think that we should send, uh, the- the _Cullens _an invite?" He blurted out quickly.

"What?! No. No Way. Jacob, I swear to God and everything Holy, if you send- if you send _them_ an invite, I will hunt you like a dog. Do you understand me? I swear that I will wring your scrawny neck with my bare hands!" I shouted, standing up from my seat at the table to tower over him.

"Jeesh Bells! Calm down. It was just a question." He said apologetically, tugging on my arm lightly to get me to sit down. "I'm sorry that I brought it up."

"I need you to promise," I continued, ignoring his attempts to get me seated again. "Promise me that you won't send them an invitation. It's embarrassing Jacob. They don't want to be a part of my life anymore. They left me, remember? I'm not going to bother them with my silly human experiences. I'm really not that desperate."

"Okay, okay, I promise. Now will you please just sit down?"

I nodded once and sat down quickly.

We continued filling out invitations awkwardly after that. I slowly started to feel guilty about my little outburst. After all, I knew that it pained Jacob to think that I still loved _him._ That I still wanted him in my life. I knew that it must have taken a lot out of him to ask that simple question. Jacob only wanted what was best for me, and I loved him for that.

"I'm so sor-" I began before he interrupted me.

"Don't worry about it Bells." Jacob said with a smile. He was seemingly unfazed by my outburst.

"I just feel guilty, that's all." I mumbled, glaring down at the sparkly invitation in my hand.

Jacob reached out and pulled my face up by my chin.

"It's okay Bella. I promise. I won't send them an invitation. Lets just pretend that that never happened, okay?" He smiled at the relief I was sure shone on my face.

"Okay." I nodded.

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly (depending on how you looked at it) Jacob left his hand on my face. He simply moved it from beneath my chin to my cheek. He stared deeply into my eyes for a few moments and I felt my pulse quicken. What was he doing? Was this it? Did I have to tell him right now whether or not I could love him? Whether or not I could make him happy?

"You are so beautiful, Bella Swan." He practically crooned, rubbing his thumb soothingly across my cheek. I gulped.

"Um, thanks Jake." I said nervously. "You're kind of beautiful too. I mean for a werewolf." I tried to lighten the mood by joking.

He let out a low chuckle but continued to stare at my face. Memorizing it.

"I love you, Bella. I always will, no matter what. I know that I can make you happy, if you will just let me try."

I sighed loudly, "We've talked about this Jake." I said, fidgeting in my chair.

"I know." He said matter of factly.

"Then you know that I don't love you like that. You're my best friend Jacob, but I'm not in love with you." I felt like I had been giving this speech way too often these days.

He sighed also frustrated. "You _could_ love me like that though, Bella. If you tried. Don't you see? If you would just let go of Edward, we could be happy together."

The hole ripped a little farther open on that one. "_Stop saying their names." _I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Okay, sorry! But you know that it's true. We were meant to be together. You know that and I know that. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

"Jake-"

"Admit it, Bells." He said lowly, his face just inches from mine. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. "Admit that we were meant to be together. I know that you know that it's true. So admit it."

For a moment, I was distracted. I had never been this close to Jake before. I had never felt so vulnerable or so safe in his presence.

"Admit it." He said again, demanding this time.

At that moment, I realized that I would be safe with Jacob. That he would never hurt me. And just like that, all my resolve crumbled. "I admit it." I breathed.

In an instant, his lips were pressed softly against mine.


	2. Letting Me In

Leaving Me Breathless Chapter Two

Letting Me In

Jacob was right, we were meant to be together.

I was positive now that this is the way my life would have turned out had I never met _him- _had _he_ never existed. Unfortunately, this brought no comfort to my guilt. Yes, I was guilty. I felt like a cheater and knew that it was stupid for me to feel this way. _He_ didn't want me. He didn't love me anymore – if he ever had in the first place. Was it so wrong to give a fraction of the love that he didn't want to someone who did want it? Someone who loved me, no matter my flaws? If it wasn't so wrong for me to do that, then why did I feel like such a horrible person?

_Because you know that you'll only end up hurting Jacob. There is no way that you could ever love Jake as much as he loves you, as much as you loved _him_. He's way out of your league. _Did I mention that my inner voice was a total bitch?

I was surprised when Jacob's lips broke contact with my own. Had he really been the first to pull away?

His smile was absolutely breathtaking. Jacob was beautiful, especially when he was happy. When he was smiling, the room radiated the beauty of a thousand suns.

"Thanks Bells." He whispered, a little out of breath.

"For what?"

"For finally letting me in. I won't hurt you, I promise you that." He whispered quietly in my ear, pecking me on the lips one more time.

"I know you won't. I trust you. I just don't trust myself to not hurt _you_, Jacob." I said quietly, playing with a strand of hair by his cheek.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm no good for you, Jacob." I cringed slightly as I thought about whom else I was no good for. "I need to tell you that up front. If we're going to do this, if we're going to be together, you need to know."

"Know what?"

"That I'm a mess, Jake. That I do love you, but I'm not sure if that is enough." I whispered. I felt awful telling him this. His heart didn't need to be broken, too.

"You're not a mess, Bella. You just need some work." He smiled slightly.

"I'm not joking!" I exclaimed, "I really don't know if I can do this, Jake. I don't know how to not hurt you, because in spite of everything, I still love _him_."

Jacob sighed loudly and released my face. "I know you do, Bella. But you love me too and I know that we can make this work. You just have to trust me."

"I do trust you, Jake. But." I broke off, suddenly unsure if I should continue.

"But what?"

"But what if you do hurt me, unintentionally?" I mumbled, not meeting his eyes. This question was a hard one.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, grabbing my chin again and forcing me to meet his eyes. He was frustrated-I could see that.

"You're a werewolf, Jacob." I stated sadly.

He growled, angry now. "You're worried about me hurting you when you let that bloodsucker touch you and kiss you all the time? He could have killed you so easily, Bella. But I'm the monster? I can control my anger now, Bells. I don't phase as often anymore and I know that I can control it." He obviously misunderstood my statement.

"No, no!" I said quickly. "No, Jake, not like that. I didn't mean it like that at all."

"Then what did you mean, Bella? I mean I'm sorry I'm not the right kind of monster for you." He said, his eyes hard, studying my face.

I flinched a little.

"You know it's not like that, Jake." I said quickly. I took a deep breath to steady myself before speaking, "I was talking about how maybe, one day, you might have to leave me. How you may not have a choice." I whispered. I knew that he could hear me.

His eyes softened immediately. "Bella, are you talking about me imprinting on someone?"

I nodded, unable to voice my concerns any further. I stared at the table some more.

"Bella, look at me." Jacob said softly.

I looked up and he was smiling softly at me. "Bells, I will never see anyone but you. I couldn't imprint on anyone when I love you as much as I do."

"What about Sam and Leah? He loved her but as soon as he saw Emily-"

"I'm not Sam, and you're not Leah." He said simply. "I promise you Bella, it would be impossible to see anyone else that way."

I nodded, blushing a little at his words.

"Okay." I said quietly.

"So are we going to do this then? Are you going to let me try to make you happy?" He asked in a low voice.

I nodded slowly and the warmth of his smile eased the pain in my chest a little. "Don't say that I didn't warn you though." I said seriously.

"Bells, I knew you were a disaster from the first day I met you." He quipped.

I punched his arm, probably bruising a couple of my own knuckles in the process. "Shut up!"

He chuckled lowly before asking, "So, now that you've agreed to it, where would you like to go for our first date?"

"You don't have to take me anywhere, Jake. It's not like I expect you to wine and dine me."

"I know you don't expect it, silly." He said, ruffling my hair with his massive hand. "I want to take you out. I mean, I am your boyfriend now, right? Isn't it my responsibility to make sure that you are having fun?"

I shivered at the word boyfriend. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Okay, if that's the way you want it." I smiled slightly. "Let me go change, then we need to stop at the post office to mail these invitations. Then, I guess you can take me out on our date." I stated the last part a little uncertainly.

I started to stand from the table but I felt a tug on my hand. I turned to ask what he needed and Jacob surprised me by taking my face in his massive hands and kissing me softly on the lips.

I concentrated on the kiss this time. It was so sweet, so gentle. His lips were warm as they pressed against mine and I shivered a little when he ran his fingers through my hair. At that moment, it was like a switch went off. I hadn't felt like this in a long time. I slowly brought my unsteady hands behind Jacob's neck. Before I realized what I was doing, I was pulling him closer.

I was a bit surprised when he let me do that. This kiss was so different from all the other kisses I had ever had. After a few moments, he pulled away, chuckling at my eagerness.

I blushed crimson when I realized that I practically had him in a strangle hold.

"Sorry!" I blushed even further, releasing him from my grasp.

"Don't apologize." He said, slipping his hand behind my waist and pulling me closer. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

"Oh yes," I said sarcastically, "Just as cute as a kitten."

"A very adorable kitten." He chuckled again before he released me. "Hurry up and get changed. We have a date to attend to."

I nodded with a small smile and then began to climb the stairs to my bedroom, pondering the last few minutes. I touched a finger to my tingling lips before I opened the door to my bedroom and got ready for my first date with my boyfriend, Jacob Black.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys. I hope you liked the new chapter. I know I uploaded twice today, but that probably won't be a reoccurring phenomenon  I'll try to update this as much as I can. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. For all you ExB fans out there, sit tight! It'll get better, I promise 


	3. Recognition

Hey guys, me again. Just wanted to thank you all for the wonderful feedback. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story.

**I'm having a blast writing it :D I'm definitely discovering my hidden love for Jacob Black. Don't worry though. I still love Edward, too. I guess you're going to have to keep reading to see who Bella loves though. :P**

**Chow for now.**

Leaving Me Breathless Recognition

It had been three weeks since my first date with Jacob. That date had absolutely surpassed all of my expectations. What _had_ I been expecting? Surely, I had never expected to feel like this again. Like…I was falling in love.

Guilt tore through my chest and my eyes widened. I was falling in love…with Jacob. How in the world had that happened? I mean our date was great, he took me to a movie and we laughed about the bad actors later over dinner, but it was not spectacular in any way. Except that it was.

I was in love with Jacob. _I_ was in love with Jacob. _I was in love with Jacob!_

But why did I feel guilty, of all emotions? I should feel happy, elated even. I mean, I was in love again. This was a big deal. No, this was a _huge_ deal.

_You feel guilty because you still love Edward. _I gasped at the thought and clutched a hand over my chest automatically. But the weird thing was, there was no pain there anymore. It throbbed a little, but like an old bruise would. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it wasn't agony either.

Where had the pain gone? Was it true? Did time really heal all wounds for my kind?

My kind. So far different from _his _kind or Jacob's kind. But was it really that bad to be so different from them? I mean, did they get to feel these emotions? Did they ever get to love two people as much as I had in my life?

Being in love was as good as it got for a human. I was sure of it. And I had been in love twice now.

While I never would forget Edward- I never could- I realized that I could be happy with Jacob. Despite everything that I had thought in the beginning of our relationship, I knew that now. He had proven how happy we could be together, how much he could love me. And I loved him too.

I was sure of that now.

Many skeptics would say that three weeks was not enough time to fall in love with someone, but I would disagree. Besides, I had known Jacob all my life. He was my best friend. And now, he was more than that. He was my boyfriend. And he had my heart.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

I was pulled from my thoughts from a very familiar, and very welcome, voice.

I smiled brightly.

"What were you thinking so hard about?" He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me to him.

"You."

He smiled brilliantly. It was breathtaking. I kissed him then, relishing the heat radiating from his body so close to mine.

"Thank you." He mumbled against my lips.

"Any time." I giggled, and then stepped away from him to grab my jacket from the back of my computer chair.

"You ready?" He asked, helping me to put the jacket over my shoulders.

"Not yet." I said leaning up and pecking him lightly on the lips. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"You're a dork." He said and then led me from my room out to his old VW Rabbit.

"So are you excited for tomorrow?" He asked about an hour later, mischief coating his question.

I groaned loudly, "Please, don't even bring it up."

"Bells, It's a graduation party, not a death sentence. It's not like anyone's going to bite you."

"Funny." I said dryly. "It's your shot."

We were standing in the middle of _Carl's Put Put Wonderland, _much to my initial dismay. I was a bit skeptical of the whole put put golf idea at first, but when we got to the course, I lightened up a bit. This was largely due to the fact that Jake sucked every bit as much as I did at this game, and we laughed the whole time.

"So, did Sam and Emily set a date yet?" I asked as I watched him set up his shot. Had his shoulders always been so muscular? I quickly shook the thought from my head, embarrassed.

Thankfully, he didn't notice. "No. They're thinking sometime this fall though. You do realize that you're going to have to buy a dress, right? I mean, we have to go the wedding." He said slowly. He was probably afraid that I was going to start screaming and running in terror.

"A dress?" I gulped. "What kind of dress?"

"The kind that a girl wears to a wedding. I don't know what they call that kind. It's just one night, Bells. Just one dress." He smiled patiently.

I walked up and began to line up my shot, just like he had moments before. "Well," I began. "Does that mean you have to wear a tux?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He frowned. "I mean, I am going to have to stand up in the wedding. Sam asked the whole pack to be a part of the wedding party."

"Even Leah?" I blurted out without thinking. I flushed immediately. "I'm sorry. That was mean."

"No it wasn't." He said, walking toward me, and wrapping his arms around my waist. "But no. Actually, Sam hasn't told Leah about the wedding yet."

"He hasn't told her?" I said kind of loudly. Okay, really loudly.

"Shh. " He said, glaring as people stared. "He just isn't sure how to break the news to her. How to break her heart. Because this will. It will kill her, Bells. I've seen it in her thoughts. She knows it's coming. She knows how bad that's going to hurt. Sam's heard it too."

I blinked quickly, horrified that my eyes were stinging.

"Are you crying?" He accused suddenly.

"No." I said quickly, "Why would I be crying?"

I discreetly turned my head, pretending to brush my hair off of my face.

"Bella." He said sternly.

I sighed, but turned to face him anyways.

"Why are you crying?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.

"It's nothing."

"You're not crying about nothing." He said. "What's wrong?"

"I just feel bad for Leah, that's all." I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"Bella, I know you like to see the good in people, and that's not a bad thing, but Leah's caused a lot of unnecessary problems and pain for Sam and the rest of the pack. I'm not so sure she deserves your sympathy."

"I know. It's just, I know what-" I stopped abruptly.

"You know what?"

I closed my eyes. "I know what it's like to have your heart broken, Jacob. It hurts like hell." I peeked up at him and saw how hard his eyes were. He knew what I was talking about. Who I was talking about.

I stepped back from his embrace, wiping the tears from my eyes. "I'm sorry," I said quickly. "That wasn't fair to you." I pushed the hair from my face and went back to lining up my shot, embarrassed.

Before I had a chance to protest, Jacob had be enveloped in a scalding embrace.

"Don't ever be sorry about telling me how you feel, Bella." He whispered into my ear. "He's part of your past. Even if I hate to admit it, you loved him once. You're not going to get over him overnight. Those things take time. I understand that. And I'm willing to wait for it to get better, because I love you. Because I'm in love with you, Bella. You mean everything to me."

I hugged myself closer to him and felt the warmth flow through me, not because of his unnatural temperature, but because of his words. "I love you too, Jacob." I whispered into his massive chest. And it was true. I did love him.

I looked up to see the most brilliant of smiles displayed goofily on his face. He was breathtaking. I smiled back at him, and for once, I was positive that it reached my eyes. I laughed out loud as he gathered me in his arms and spun me around in circles.

When he put me down, I was breathless. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me with a kind of passion I had never dreamt existed. I kissed him back happily and smiled against his lips. After a few moments, we broke apart, both gasping for air.

He held me close and whispered into my ear, "God you're beautiful." I shivered. And then I smiled.

"Okay, stop distracting me now. You're only doing that because you're afraid that I'm going to kick you're butt at this game." I laughed, pulling myself out of his embrace and finally taking my shot. It bounced off the side and then continued to roll back down the hill and stop right in front of my feet.

"Oh yes," Jacob said sarcastically "I'm shaking in my boots."

Two things happened then. First, Jacob lined up his shot and I snuck up behind him. Just as he was about to hit the ball, I poked him in his ribs on both sides, causing him to jump and the ball to go flying through the air, hitting some poor blonde teenager in the back of the head. Hard.

Second, a gust of wind picked up, and the smell of fried food wafted over to me from the concession stands.

At the smell, Jacob stiffened. Then, he growled. Like actually growled.

All of this barely registered in my head though. I was too busy staring at the back of the blonde boy's head. There was something about his hair color. _Think Bella, think. How do you know him? There's something there. Think! You've seen him before, but where? _The boy still hadn't turned around. I couldn't see his face to see if I knew him. But I was sure that I knew him. He looked so familiar.

Just as the boy was about to turn around, however, Jacob grabbed me by the wrist and spun me around to face him.

"I'm hungry." He said quickly. "Yeah, I'm really hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

He started to pull me away from the course then, never loosening the iron grip he had on my wrist.

"Jacob, we're not even done with the course yet!" I protested. What was his problem?

"Hungry." He muttered.

We finally reached his car then and he shoved me roughly into the passenger seat, still muttering to himself the whole time. Finally, he climbed into his own seat and shoved his key in the ignition.

"Jacob." Nothing, he was still muttering to himself and not paying the least bit of attention to me. "Jacob." I tired again, nothing.

"Jacob!" I shouted. He finally looked at me.

"What?!" He growled loudly.

"What the hell is your deal?" I asked him curiously. "I thought we were having fun!"

"I told you, Bella. I'm just hungry." He said, his voice softening. He was lying. I knew it immediately. I also knew that there was no way he was going to tell me what was going on.

I looked down to distract myself from the fact that he was lying to me and saw that his hands were shaking. Violently.

"Jacob, you're shaking! Calm down!" I exclaimed, looking up to meet his eyes. But he wasn't looking at me; he was staring out the windshield, watching someone that I couldn't see.

"Wait here." He grumbled, pulling the key back out of the ignition.

"Where are you going?!" I exclaimed again, I was getting pissed now. What the hell was going on?

"I forgot to apologize to that guy. I'll be right back." He said. He threw the car door open and then slammed it behind him with such force that I was sure it was going to break the glass in the window.

I watched as he stalked forward in the darkness, shoving his shaking hands into his jean pockets. He stopped a few yards in front of the car. I could make out the blonde color of the boy's hair but he was standing in the dark, right out of the range of the streetlight they were standing under. I couldn't make out his face, but I could make out Jacob's. He was angry.

He stood there for a few moments and looked to be arguing with the boy. After about five minutes the boy walked away. Jacob stood there staring after him for a few moments before turning and walking back to the car.

He opened the door and was muttering profanities under his breath when he climbed in and buckled up. He stuck the key in the ignition but didn't switch gears. He just placed his hands on the steering wheel and gripped it. Hard. His whole body was convulsing. I was beginning to panic. What was wrong with him? I had never seen him this angry before.

"Jacob." I said softly, reaching to place one of my own shaky hands on top of his.

He closed his eyes, "Please, just keep talking." He was trying to keep his shape together.

I panicked again. What do I say? My mind was going blank, so I blurted out the first thing I thought of. "Maybe I'll get a floral dress for the wedding. You know, something purple? I like purple. I mean, it's girly but not like overly girly. It would look nice in the fall too. I'd get a dark purple, of course. Not like a lavender, sick, I do _not _want to look like an Easter egg at someone's wedding-"

I broke off suddenly when I realized he was still shaking – with laughter.

"You are so weird, Bella Swan. Only you would talk about a dress at a time like this."

I blushed deeply.

"I didn't know what else to say."

"Thank you anyways. I feel better now." Jacob said, throwing the car into reverse.

After a few moments silence, I began. "So, are you going to explain what happened back there?"

Silence.

"Okay, but I thought you were at least going to apologize to that poor guy. It looked like you were arguing with him."

He growled lowly. "He doesn't deserve an apology."

"Jacob! You hit the poor guy in the back of his head with a golf ball!"

Silence again.

"Okay, can you at least tell me where the hell you're taking me?"

"I'm taking you home." He said simply.

This was so irritating. If I could punch him and not hurt myself, I would.

"I thought you were hungry." I said lowly.

"Lost my appetite."

I threw my hands up in frustration.

"So much for our date then." I muttered angrily. Seriously, what crawled up his butt and died? I thought we were having fun. We were so happy earlier. Who the hell was this blonde guy, and why was Jacob so angry?

We drove the rest of the way home in silence. As soon as he parked the car, I threw the door open and stomped up the front porch. He followed behind me closely but when he tried to follow me into the house, like he usually did, I told him to go home and shut the door in his face. What, he was the only one who could be angry?

I was relieved to see that Charlie was already asleep. Good. I wouldn't have to explain my mood to him then. I raced up the stairs to my room. It had been a long night, and I just wanted to sleep. What I saw when I entered my room though, very nearly gave me a heart attack.

"Jesus, Jacob!" I said angrily. "Are you listening to what you just did to my heart?" It was practically thumping out of my chest.

"I'm sorry, " He whispered from his spot on my bed. He was sprawled across it lazily. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I just glared at him from my spot in the doorway. He rose slowly from my bed and came to stand in front of me.

"I'm sorry for how I acted. I was out of line and I'm sorry."

I sighed heavily.

"What the hell is going on, Jacob. I mean, I thought we were having fun."

His eyes widened. "Of course we were. It was just, well I really don't like that guy."

"What did he ever do to you?" I asked wearily. This night was taking its toll. I was exhausted.

"He's just a bad guy, that's all."

"You're not going to say anything else are you?" I asked softly. I already knew the answer.

He just shrugged. "Do you want me to leave?" He sounded hurt.

My eyes widened then. "No. No, of course not. I just don't understand why you got so upset."

"It was just that guy. I promise. I'm over it now. I don't want him to spoil the rest of the night." He smiled, wrapping his arms around me again.

"How did you get in here anyways?" I asked curiously. He was forgiven, and he knew it.

"The window." He said simply. I shivered. Of course. _The window._

"Are you cold?" He asked, pulling me closer.

"No, I'm fine." I didn't make any move to leave though.

"I should get going. I just wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to ruin the night."

"You're leaving?" I asked, a bit surprised.

"I-I can stay if you want." He stammered, a bit confused by my surprise.

"Could you?" I asked and his eyes widened. I flushed beet red. "N-not like that. J-Just to sleep! I-I mean if you want. You can leave if you want."

He blushed too. "N-no. I can stay. J-just to sleep. I'll just tell Billy that I was with the pack. He won't mind."

We both stared at each other for an awkward moment. Then I started toward my dresser. "Well, I'm just going to go change." I said, grabbing the closest thing to my fingertips and sprinting toward the bathroom.

I got to the bathroom and looked down at what I had grabbed. Ratty old sweats. Nice. I changed quickly and laughed at the sound of my pounding heart. I told myself to calm down. It was just Jacob in there. My best friend. No big deal.

I walked back into my room and found Jacob lying on my bed again. My heart skipped a beat. Ut oh. Did he hear that?

The smirk on his face told me that he did. I blushed profusely. I climbed into the bed and snuggled under the covers. I turned to face him again.

"Are you sure you aren't going to get into trouble with Billy?"

"Positive. I'll just leave after you fall asleep. I won't stay the whole night."

"Thank you. It's always nice to have someone here when I fall asleep-" I broke off abruptly for the second time that night. _Idiot!_ My mind shouted.

"N-not like that. I mean we never-It wasn't-we weren't like…that. We didn't ever" Jacob leaned over and kissed me then, cutting me off mid ramble.

"Bella, just shut up." He growled playfully, kissing me again.

I nodded, wrapping my arms lightly around his neck. Kissing Jacob was great. His lips were so warm against mine and so gentle. The best part though, was that there weren't so many boundaries like there were with, well with Edward. Jacob knew that he wouldn't hurt me, and therefore didn't have to be so gentle. He was gentle because he chose to be, not because he had to be. That meant that I didn't have to be so gentle with him. I didn't have to watch everything I did. I wasn't in any danger with Jacob.

He pulled away after a few moments. "Um, Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked breathily.

"You should probably get some sleep. And I'm going to need to move from your strangle hold before you kill me." He whispered.

"What?" Then I noticed just how happy I was to be away from boundaries. I had pulled Jacob as close as I could to myself and was practically strangling him from how tight my arms were wrapped around his neck. I let go, blushing again.

"Sorry." I mumbled, and he laughed. I released my chokehold on him and he smiled.

He kissed my lips once more before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tight to his chest. "Go to sleep now, Bells. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight, Jake."

"Night, Bella."

"Hey Jake?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you." I mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too, Bella." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

The last thing I remember before zonking out was him pulling me tighter to his chest and kissing the top of my head. "I love you, too." He whispered again.

So, What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know.

**And who do you think the blonde is? I bet you know, but maybe you're wrong??**

**I guess you're just going to have to wait and find out :D**


	4. Party

Thanks for all the support guys. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying the story as much as I am.

**I'm really excited for this chapter :D I hope you guys are too!**

**Later. **

Leaving Me Breathless – Party

I woke up the next morning fairly certain that my skin was on fire. Why was it so hot in here? I kicked my blankets off in a huff and welcomed the cool air that my room had to offer. And what was that noise? It sounded like a jet taking off. I didn't live anywhere near an airport though.

I groaned and rolled over. My hand connected with something very hot and very hard. Ow.

My eyes flung open then and I realized why it was so hot in my room. Jacob must have fallen asleep here last night after I fell asleep. The jet I thought was taking off was actually the sound of him snoring.

It was really pathetic that I had managed to smack the kid in the face and he was _still_ sleeping. How weak am I?

"Jake," I said quietly. I didn't want to give the poor guy a heart attack. "Jacob, wake up."

Nothing.

"Jakkkeeee." I singsoned. "Wakey wakey!"

If it was possible, his snoring got even louder.

I sighed. He was gorgeous of course, even when he was sleeping. The color of his skin was beautiful and this black hair made him even more breathtaking. I ran my fingers lightly through his long locks of hair in soothing motions. I might as well let him sleep. Between hanging out with me and running with the pack, the poor kid hardly ever got any shuteye.

I wanted to let him sleep, but I was fairly certain that Billy would kill him if he knew that he had slept here.

"Jake." I tried again. This kid slept like the dead.

It was time to break out the big guns. I rolled over even more and curled my body next to his. He shifted in his sleep and threw a heavy arm around my waist. I smiled. I lightly traced the outline of his lips with my index finger before kissing him softly.

His eyes flew open automatically.

"Good. You're awake." I smiled at his confusion. "I take it you fell asleep."

He grumbled loudly, nuzzling his face in my neck. "Billy is going to kill me."

"I thought you were going to leave after I fell asleep last night."

"I was going to but I never realized that you talk in your sleep. A lot. I guess I stayed to listen and passed out here."

I blushed furiously. "What did I say?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. You kept talking about some meadow though."

My mouth dropped open in horror. I so did _not_ remember having that dream last night.

"What else did I say?"

"Then you just kept talking about something glittery. Honestly, what did you eat before you went to sleep? That sounds like some weird dream." He chuckled.

"Yeah. Very weird." I agreed with a blush.

"Well, I better get going. I don't want to have Billy send the whole pack out looking for me." He smiled then hugged me close for a moment longer. "I'll see you at the party tonight." He pecked my lips then headed toward the window.

"You just have to keep bringing it up." I called after him and heard him chuckle lowly. Stupid werewolf.

I sighed loudly before deciding it was time to get up and face the very long day that was ahead of me.

---

I took a quick shower and got dressed before heading downstairs to face Charlie and Renee. My mom had come up with Phil, insisting that there was no way she could miss my graduation party. In all reality though, it was more of a party for her. She was the brain behind the whole operation. Charlie was just the puppet and she was the puppeteer, pulling all of the strings. I knew that he wouldn't have made me have this stupid party if it wasn't for her yanking his chain.

"Good morning, graduate!" My mother singsonged as soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen. She and Phil were situated around the small table drinking coffee while Charlie stood awkwardly by the counter.

"Good morning, Mom." I said, walking over to hug her. "What's for breakfast?"

"You're favorite, fried eggs and toast." She smiled widely.

I smiled back before helping myself to a portion of the steaming food. I hesitated a moment before turning my head towards Charlie, "Did you make this?" I asked suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes before answering, "You never trust me. I _can_ cook you know."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Okay, fine. You're mother made it."

I smiled victoriously before taking bite of my toast.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I said after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Well, first you and I are going shopping for a dress. Then, we are coming back here to set up for tonight. After that, I'm going to help you get dressed. Oh, Bella, it's going to be so much fun!" Renee said, bouncing slightly in her seat.

Charlie choked back at snort and I shot him a glare. He held up his hands in defense, "Sorry, this coffee went down the wrong tube."

Right.

"Laugh it up, Dad. See if I help you next time you're required to bring a guest with you to a company picnic." I hissed.

He paled a little at my words and I snickered.

"Now Bella, this isn't going to be that bad. You'll see, you might even have fun tonight."

----

"I thought you said that this was going to be fun." I said about 6 hours later. I was sitting in a chair in the bathroom with my back towards the mirror as Renee worked on my hair and makeup.

It had taken us 3 full hours to find a dress. That was so not my idea of fun. The dress we had decided on was very pretty though. It was a deep blue and halter necked. It cinched at the waist and then flowed elegantly to just above my knee. I secretly loved it.

"You're not having fun?" She sounded sort of hurt. She took another curler out of my hair.

"No, no I am. I just didn't think it would take so long to find a dress and then set up." I said quickly. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but this definitely wasn't my idea of fun. I winced as she tugged on my hair a little too hard.

"Bella, you only graduate high school once. You should embrace it."

Now where had I heard _that_ before?

"You're right. I guess I just don't like all the attention."

"You never have. Ever since you were a little girl, you've never wanted to be in the spotlight."

"That's probably because I trip over everything and don't really like to have an audience to witness it."

"Well, Jacob will be there tonight. That should make it more fun, right?"

I blushed, "Yeah, it'll be more bearable if he's there."

It was quiet for a few minutes, "There." She said finally. She spun me in my chair to face the mirror in the bathroom. She had done a good job on my makeup. I actually looked kind of pretty.

I smiled, "Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, Baby." She said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

"Now scoot, I still need to get myself ready!"

---

The guests started arriving pretty quickly after that. I didn't really have time to talk to anyone besides Jacob because we were assigned to door detail. Basically Renee wanted me to greet everyone as they came in the door.

"Did I tell you that you look really pretty tonight?" Jacob asked a couple of hours after the party had started, wrapping his hands around my waist and kissing my cheek.

"Hmm, only about a dozen times. Feel free to continue though." I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I just love that color on you. It makes your skin practically glow."

"Um, thanks." I forced a smile. Damnit, now I had to burn that dress. Stupid memories.

"You're very welcome." He smiled kissing my lips gently. "What do you think about mingling? I don't think anyone else is going to show up now. If they do, I think they can manage to find their own way around the house."

"Yeah, I was getting pretty thirsty anyways. Lets go."

"I'll get it. Just wait here. I'll be back in a minute. Then we can go find Quil and Embry or something."

"Okay." I agreed. "I'll just wait here."

"I'll be right back."

I waited for a few minutes. It was oddly quiet by the door. Jacob was right. No one else was probably coming. The thought made me happy. There were already more than enough people crammed into Charlie's small living room. In my humble opinion, the less people the merrier.

Just then the doorbell rang. I looked toward the door, puzzled. I was almost certain that everyone invited had already showed up.

I opened the door and was almost immediately knocked off my feet. A very cold boulder threw itself into my chest and I was very nearly knocked on my ass. "Oh!" I gasped in surprise.

"Oh, Bella! I've missed you so much!" The rock cried out.

"A-Alice?"

Alice pulled out of the hug and nodded enthusiastically.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I stammered.

"Bella!" Another voice exclaimed. I snapped my head back to the doorway to see that it was Emmett who had spoken. "Bella, my favorite human! I've missed you!" Almost instantaneously, he had me in his arms and wrapped in a bone-crushing hug.

"Emmett, I…can't…breathe." I gasped out.

"Oops. Sorry!" He said dropping me immediately.

"Bella, dear. You look absolutely beautiful." Esme said softly, pulling me into a soft hug. "I love you're dress!"

"Um, thank you." My head was spinning. What were they doing here? Was I dead? I must be dead.

"Now, let's not bombard her." Carlisle scolded his family. "We just got here after all. Give Bella some time to react." He turned to me with a smile. "Hello Bella. How are you?"

I stared at up at him, eyes wide. "F-fine." _Fine? After a year all you have to say is fine? Idiot!_

At that Jasper stepped forward slowly. "Bella, I am…I didn't…I am so sor."

I cut him off with a wave of my hand. "Just say hello, Jasper."

He smiled in relief. "Hello, Bella."

"Hello." I smiled at him before reaching out to hug him. I never wanted him to blame himself for what had happened, but one look at his face told me that he did. He wrapped his arms around me hesitantly, testing to make sure he was in control of his thirst. I turned my head to whisper in his ear "I forgive you, Jasper. It was an accident. Don't blame yourself anymore. Do you understand?" I knew that they could all hear me, but I didn't care.

He nodded before pulling away.

I turned my attention to the beautiful blonde who was hanging out in the back of the crowd.

"Hello, Rosalie." I said politely.

"Bella." She said curtly, examining her fingernails.

I nodded. Some things never changed.

I took a deep breath. There was one last Cullen to greet. The moment I laid eyes on his frame I very nearly lost it. He was exactly as I remember him, only better. Dressed in a black button up and blue jeans, he looked exactly like a Greek god. His bronze hair was disheveled as always, only adding to the affect. I blushed fiercely when I realized how hard my heart was pounding.

"Bella." His musical voice very nearly had me in tears.

"Hello, Edward." I said politely, not daring to meet his eyes.

Just then Jacob wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Sorry I took so long, you wouldn't believe how many people are crammed into your kitchen right now. I had to shove a couple of old biddies out of the way to get you this but here you go." He said handing me a cup of fruit punch.

"Um, Jacob. You remember the Cullens right?" I said asked through gritted teeth. Surely my face was as red as the juice in my cup at the moment. I could feel Edward's questioning stare boring a hole into the side of my face. I refused to meet his eyes.

I glanced around the group in front of me and was surprised to see that Jasper was clutching his chest with an extremely pained expression on his face.

"Oh my gosh, Jasper! Are you alright?"

"Perfect." He grunted. He was trying not to show that he was in pain.

"We can go outside, if you'd like. We can get away from all of these people."

Jacob let out a low growl.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain and shook his head. "No, no. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

I looked up to Jacob for help but he was glaring at Jasper. His hands were shaking viciously. "I told you not to come here." He growled, low and menacingly.

I gaped at him in shock. He knew about this? Why didn't he tell me that they were in town?

I looked back to see Jasper glaring at Jacob. Jasper, with his blonde hair. _The boy at the golf course. _That's why Jacob was so upset last night.

"Oh!" I gasped in surprise. "You were at the golf course last night!" It was painfully obvious now.

Jasper nodded, eyes closed again. He was still clutching his chest and gasping for air.

"Seriously, Jasper. Get some fresh air or something. Don't torture yourself like this." I said softly, trying to lead him out the front door. "I know it must be hard with all these people here. I don't mind if you have to step out, I promise."

"Yeah, people." He groaned. "Fresh air. Good idea." He bolted from the house then.

I turned my attention back to the group in front of me. All but one.

Alice was glaring at Jacob and he was practically convulsing.

"You need to leave." He growled through gritted teeth to Alice. "Now."

"Do you make all of Bella's decisions now, mongrel? Maybe she wants us here." Alice bit back.

Jacob opened his mouth to speak again but I cut him off.

"Stop it! Don't fight, okay?" I said, stepping between the two of them with my hands raised in front of me, trying to keep the peace.

"Jacob, can I talk to you for a minute? In private." I demanded.

He tore his eyes away from the glare fest him and Alice were sharing to stare at me with cold eyes. He nodded once and went outside.

"I'm so sorry." I said lowly. "Just give me one minute. Help yourself to any of the food or drinks...uh, never mind." I laughed nervously. "Um, I'll be right back." I said to Alice before following Jacob out into the cool night.

I found Jacob standing a few feet in off the path that led into the forest. Of course he had to pick _this_ path as a place to talk to me. I pushed the thoughts from my head violently. No need to bring up any painful memories, especially when their cause was only a few hundred yards away.

"Jacob I…"

He cut me off before I could say anymore.

"They need to leave." He growled loudly.

"Jacob…I didn't invite them here. I swear. I have no idea what they're even doing here, okay? I'm sorry that they took you off guard, but believe me, I'm just as shocked to see them as you are."

"They need to leave now, Bella. The pack is here. It could end up in a fight." He said lowly, not meeting my eyes.

I walked over to him and my hands on both sides of his face. "You will not start a fight with them, got it?" I growled out.

He glared at me. "There won't be a fight if you'd just tell them to get the hell out."

I stared at him. Was he serious? Did he really expect me to tell them to leave?

"I can't do that." I said lowly.

He sighed in frustration. "Why the hell not?" He shouted.

"Because! They just got here. I'm not going to just tell them to leave. I haven't seen them in over a year, Jake."

"It's because of him isn't it? You won't ask them to leave because he's here!" He accused with a pointed finger.

"That's not fair, Jacob, and you know it!" I yelled back. "This has nothing to do with him. It's not like I asked them to come here you know! I refuse to kick them out because you are a big baby and can't handle it!"

"Whatever, Bella. Call me when your precious bloodsucker and his family leaves." And with that, he took off into the woods.


	5. Cloudy Vision

_Hey guys._

_For those of you wondering, yes I did change my Penname…again. I think this one is going to stick around though. It's a lot more versatile than my last one, since I'm not writing for just one fandom anymore. _

_Sorry it's been awhile since the last update. I've been really busy with my high school classes and then my college class as well. I had to pump out a research essay and it was a disaster. But here is the new chapter. I hope you guys like it!_

Leaving Me Breathless- Cloudy Vision

I stood staring after Jacob. I was waiting, but I didn't know what for. I knew he wasn't coming back. I had never seen Jacob behave the way he just had. He wasn't just angry; he was hurt. I had hurt Jacob's feelings by not agreeing to kick the Cullens out of my house.

I felt my eyes prick and well up.

It wasn't fair that Jacob was angry with me. I should be furious at him! He had known that the Cullens were in town, yet he hadn't told me. I deserved to know. He could have warned me instead of letting them ambush me. He could have stayed, despite his frustrations. I needed him and he was gone.

How was I supposed to face them by myself? Why were they here? Their presence baffled me. I couldn't understand why he had broken his promise. _We won't put you through anything like this again._ Of course, I was happy to see the Cullens. I just couldn't fathom a reason good enough for Edward to break a promise. Although I guess he had broken a promise before. He broke the promise he had made me in Phoenix – the promise to never leave me.

The hole in my chest throbbed. It felt like all the hard work Jacob had been putting into sewing it up was going out the window. It was about to rip wide open.

I cursed Jacob again for leaving me to deal with the vampires by myself. How was I supposed to act like everything was normal when they were leaving again? How was I supposed to act like my heart wasn't aching every moment I spent in the same room as them? I wasn't just heartbroken over Edward-not that _that _heartache wasn't enough for anyone- but I was heartbroken over his entire family. I had planned to join them as a member one day. I had loved them. I had assumed they loved me. I had been wrong.

How could I have been so foolish to assume that they could love a stupid, insignificant human like myself? I was just a play toy to them, something that was amusing for a time but was quickly forgotten when a new toy came out. The hole throbbed a little at the thought. I knew that I was just a distraction from the monotony of eternity. It hurt. I had loved all of them. They kept me around for amusement, not thinking twice as they packed me in a box with all of their other memories.

I turned on my heel, not wanting to think anymore, and slowly started trudging back to Charlie's house. It was just better to get this over with so that they'd leave again. They were probably anxious to get back to their precious distractions. I walked slowly, putting off the final stab to my already broken heart.

I was still lost in my thoughts as I approached Charlie's front porch. I wasn't exactly surprised that I tripped over a stick lying on the sidewalk; it was dark outside. I was shocked, however, when a pair of icy hands reached out to catch me before I nose-dived into the cement.

I looked up to see Emmett's giant form bracing all of my weight easily. He was grinning hugely.

"Um, thanks." I blushed.

Emmett let out a low, booming laugh. "It seems that little Bella is still as clumsy as ever."

"Uh, yeah. I guess I am." I offered weakly.

Emmett frowned at my lack of response. Someone on the porch cleared their throat. My head snapped up to look for the source of the noise. The whole Cullen family was standing on my front porch, staring at me with amused expressions.

I straightened my shirt and ran my hand through my hair, trying to spare some of my wounded dignity. I was about to speak but was interrupted by Carlisle.

"Bella, we're terribly sorry for showing up unannounced. It is very impolite for us to come to your graduation party uninvited. I hope we didn't cause you too much trouble. Please forgive me if we did."

I blushed again.

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

A guilty look came across Carlisle's face. He opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off with a nod.

"It's okay Carlisle. I just forgot how sensitive vampire hearing was. I'm um, sorry that Jacob acted so rudely."

"Don't apologize. It's our fault. Please forgive my family and myself for our rudeness. We can come back another time, if you'd like." He offered politely.

"No, no. It's all right. You know that you are all welcome here, anytime. It's no inconvenience at all. Would you like to come inside?" I glanced at Jasper and quickly added, "Or we could stay out here if you prefer."

"I'm perfectly fine, Bella." Jasper said softly. "Earlier was just a…misunderstanding." He glanced swiftly at Edward and then back to me. "I'm very much in control of my thirst."

"Outside is fine, thank you. It is better if we can talk to you away from human ears, Bella. We have some important things to discuss with you. That is why we're here." Carlisle said, ignoring Jasper completely.

"Also because we all missed you terribly," Alice added cheerfully.

I winced slightly, knowing that her statement excluded one member of her family indefinitely. "I'm sure you _all_ have." I muttered under my breath.

Jasper cleared his throat uncomfortably.

I looked to Alice and her expression was angry. She glared at me fiercely.

Ugh. Stupid vampire hearing.

"You don't believe me, Bella? I've missed you terribly. You're my sister.You're family."

Alice looked utterly wounded. I felt awful immediately.

"I've missed you too, Alice. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I'm just, well, shocked to see you here. I didn't think I'd see you again." My voice cracked horribly at this.

Jasper coughed loudly then. Emmett pounded his back with a sympathetic smile on his face.

"I'm okay." He muttered, shooting a death glare at Edward who was staring out into the forest. He had his face turned away and I couldn't see it. This was probably for the best. The hole in my chest was already tearing. Looking into his eyes would just rip the stitches wide open.

"Jasper, really. Go home or something. I don't want you to suffer in order to be here." I said reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Bella, honestly." He mumbled.

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure." He said shortly.

"Anyways, Bella. We're here because I really needed to talk to you. I can't _see_ you anymore and I need to know why. What kind of trouble have you been getting into up here? Why are you vanishing from my visions?"

I gasped. "You've been looking for my future, Alice?"

She ignored me.

"You're there, sometimes. I can see you now, of course. But your future was gone completely when we got here. How am I supposed to know if you're safe? Explain yourself!" She demanded

Safe. Safe in Forks? Was she crazy? Of course I was safe. It was _Forks_ for crying out loud.

"I've recently developed a theory, however." She continued, not letting me get a word in edgewise. "It involves animals."

"Animals?" _What the heck?_

"Yes. Wolves particularly."

My heart started thumping loudly in my chest. Did they know about Jacob? How could they possibly know that my boyfriend was a werewolf? What did he have anything to do with Alice's visions?

"Just tell me your theory, Alice, please?"

"Well, you have been spending a lot of time with Jacob lately, correct?"

"Um, yeah. That's right." I said, uncomfortable. How did she know that I was spending so much time with Jacob?

Another choke. "Sorry." Jasper muttered.

"Bella, I don't know if you know this, but he's…well…he's a werewolf."

My heart stopped beating. She knew. How in the world did she know?

"How do you know that?" I hissed.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I knew it the minute I smelt him at the golf course last night. There is _no way_ that boy is _human_." She scoffed.

"Could've fooled me." I muttered. Emmett chuckled.

"That's why I can't see you though, Bella! Don't you understand? I can't see you because I can't see Jacob. When your futures collide, you vanish. When you spend time with him, your future disappears! I didn't understand that until I got another whiff of him tonight. I had to come here to make sure that he was a werewolf. This explains everything though." She looked very pleased with her discovery. "Although, it does mean that I can't see werewolves." She frowned.

"Wait a second, Alice." Carlisle interrupted. "The boy is a _werewolf?_"

"Come on, Carlisle. How could you not recognize the scent? He reeks of dog." Alice said, scrunching up her nose at the thought.

Jacob smelled bad? I had never noticed. I thought he smelled nice. Woodsy, maybe, but nice.

"He did smell pretty foul." Carlisle admitted. "Hmm. A werewolf. Well, that's a new development. What is the boy's last name?"

"Uh, Black. His name is Jacob Black." I stuttered. I was still busy wrapping my head around the fact that Alice couldn't see me. That she couldn't see Jacob.

"He's a descendant then. No wonder. He does look like Ephraim I suppose." Carlisle murmured to himself.

"Well, that's interesting." I mumbled. "Um, thank you. For coming all this way to tell me this, I mean. You really didn't need to trouble yourselves." What kind of idiots were they? Why would they travel so far just to tell me that Alice couldn't see me in her visions anymore? Why was Alice even looking for my future anymore? Surely it didn't matter to her what happened to me. It didn't matter to any of them.

All the Cullens tensed slightly.

I felt Edward's gaze boring a hole into my head but I couldn't face him. I knew that I would lose it if I did.

"Well, actually, Bella. It seems that you have more bad luck than any of us ever estimated. Tell her, Alice." Emmett chuckled lowly.

"What do you mean? Has something happened? Is someone going to get hurt, Alice? Is it Charlie? Renee?" My heart started beating furiously. "Is Jacob going to be okay?"

Choke. Cough.

"No one's going to get hurt, Bella. Relax." Alice said soothingly. "It's actually, well, we're here because of a vision I had."

"I thought your visions were going haywire." I stated, confused. Why was she being so cryptic?

"My visions of _you_ are going haywire. My visions of everyone else are perfectly fine."

"What did you see, Alice?" I was worried.

She threw a worried glance at Edward. I saw him nod. She turned back to me and murmured, "Victoria."

It was silent for a moment. My heart started beating quickly.

This was bad. This was very bad.

"V-Victoria? What about her?"

Alice sighed wearily. "She's looking for you, Bella."

I gasped loudly, "What?"

Then I heard it. The musical voice I hadn't heard in almost two years. The voice reserved for my dreams. The voice of my angel. It was better in person – much better.

"She's a little put out with you, Bella." He said quietly. I looked up and met his gaze for the first time in a year and a half. My heart shattered all over again. The hole ripped itself wide open. I felt my knees go weak with grief.

His eyes were more beautiful than I could ever imagine. My memory of them was nowhere near how beautiful they actually were. My eyes drank in the sight of his face and my broken heart throbbed. He was perfect. I memorized the lines of his face and neck, the rigid shape of his jaw and cheekbones, the outline of his perfect lips. I drank the sight in greedily. I realized then just how flawed my memory was. What I had thought was a perfect picture of Edward in my mind was like a blurry negative of a printed picture. It was nowhere near perfect. I swallowed against the lump rising in my throat.

"Me? What did I ever do to her?" I squeaked.

Hold it together, Bella. Do not let him see you cry. You are not pathetic. Don't let him see how much it's breaking your heart to see him. Don't let him see how miserable you really are.

"You didn't do anything, Bella. This is my fault. I didn't realize how capable she was. I never realized she could have this kind of reaction." He looked agonized.

"Reaction to what?"

"I killed her mate. She wants revenge." He said quietly.

"What does that have to do to me, though?"

He shifted uncomfortably, looking down. He looked up and met my eyes. "She loved James and I killed him. She's after you because she knows that I loved you."

I _loved_ you_. _Another stab. Another wound.

"But…we aren't…together… anymore." I said slowly. I was trying to understand the logic in this mess.

Choke. Cough. Cough. "Excuse me." I just ignored Jasper and his pride. When would he just admit that he wasn't as strong as the others when it came to controlling his thirst?

Edward cleared his throat. "Yes, well. She seems to be very stubborn. When she sets her sights on a target, she goes for it and asks questions later."

"Oh." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Well, thank you all for informing me of this. Jacob and his pack will be happy to finally put their, um, abilities into action. I'll let them know what's going on. They will be happy that I'm finally letting them hunt a vampire."

"Bella, you can't be serious!" Alice exclaimed. "You can't put your life into the hands of werewolves. They are dangerous, Bella. They could snap and turn on you at any moment. Are you crazy?!" Her eyes were wild with worry. I knew then that she was looking for my future. She couldn't find it.

"I am _not_ crazy." I snapped, glaring straight into Alice's eyes.

"Little Bella. Always hunting for monsters." Emmett chuckled.

I glared at him. "There is nothing wrong with Jacob's pack. They are all incredibly in control of their anger, now."

"Now?" Alice choked out.

"Bella, dear. I'm sure that Jacob is very nice but he's very young. He isn't experienced in controlling his temper. He doesn't have enough experience yet to have that kind of control." Esme said softly.

"Alice and Esme are right, Bella. Jacob and his friends are dangerous." Edward said softly.

"And being with you wasn't dangerous, Edward?" I snapped. I was officially angry now. Tears of anger were pricking my eyes. "How hypocritical can you get? I didn't risk my life every minute that we were together? Tell me that if I didn't start bleeding right now that there would be no danger!" I was shouting now.

"I would never have hurt you, Bella. No matter what." Edward said severely.

"You already have."

It was silent for a moment before Jasper broke out into his worst coughing fit yet. Could vampires get bronchitis? I was almost positive that Jasper had it with all the coughing he had going on.

Edward took a step toward me with his hand outstretched. I took a step back. "Please don't touch me." I whimpered.

Edward dropped his hand immediately. "Bella, I"

"Don't…just. Please, don't say anything. I…I need to get back inside. I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. I uh, it was great seeing you all again. Forgive me for being rude." I rambled quickly, wiping the traitor tears out of my eyes.

"Oh, my dear Bella." Esme cried, wrapping me in a comforting embrace.

"I'm fine, Esme. Really. I'm just emotional. That time of the month, you know?" I lied quickly.

Seven pairs of eyebrows shot up skeptically. I blushed scarlet.

"Uh, anyways. It was nice of you guys to come all this way to talk to me about everything. I really appreciate it. Please don't feel that you are responsible for me in any way. I understand. I'll um, I'll talk to the pack and we'll sort this out. It was really good to see you guys. I really missed you all."

Cough.

I turned to Carlisle. "Carlisle, can you do me a favor?"

"Oh course, Bella. Anything you want - it's yours."

I heard a hiss behind me, but ignored it.

"Anything reasonable, that is." Carlisle added quickly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I was going to ask you to give Jasper an examination. I'm pretty sure he has bronchitis or something."

Carlisle chuckled, "Bella, you know better than anyone that vampires can't get sick."

"Oh I know. Something is wrong with him though." I muttered glaring at Jasper. "Maybe he has too much pride?" I added lightly. "Is there anything you can give him to cure that?"

Jasper glanced at me before turning his glare to Edward for a reason unbeknownst to me.

"I'll see what I can do, Bella." Carlisle chuckled lightly.

"Well, I better get going then. I don't want Charlie to come out here with a gun or anything. He's still a little, um, sensitive to the whole…situation." I murmured.

"Of course, we'll just be going then." Carlisle said, stepping forward to embrace me. "Goodbye, Bella. Take care."

I nodded tearfully. "Goodbye Carlisle." I hugged him tightly for a moment.

"Goodbye, my sweet Bella. Take care of yourself, dear." Esme said quietly, embracing me tightly.

"Goodbye, Esme. I'll miss you!" I cried, holding her tightly as well. I would miss her dearly. She had been a second mother to me.

"Bella!" Emmett howled, pulling me into a bear hug.

"Aw, Em!" I laughed, hugging him to me.

He set me down and grinned at me goofily. "Don't do anything funny from now on. It will kill me to know I missed it!"

I rolled my eyes, "You're already dead, Emmett."

He snorted, "Good one!" He exclaimed, high-fiving me. I was pretty sure there would be a bruise there tomorrow, but I didn't care. I would miss Emmett and his goofiness. I had missed him severely in the past year and a half. No matter what, Emmett never failed to make me laugh.

"Bella." Rosalie nodded again.

"Rosalie. It was good seeing you again."

She nodded.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes and turned my attention to Jasper. He was watching me hesitantly, debating his next move.

"Come here, Jasper." I laughed, opening my arms to hug him. He smiled brightly at me and stepped forward into my embrace. "I'm so proud of you." I whispered quietly, tears welling again. What was wrong with me?

He stepped out of my embrace and smiled. "Thank you, Bella. It was very gracious of you to accept my apology."

I waved him off. "It was nothing. You really aren't as scary as you think, Jazz."

He smiled and rolled his golden eyes.

I turned to Alice. She looked like she would be crying if she could. I immediately burst into tears. "Alice!" I cried, running into her arms.

She hugged me tight and we cried together. I knew she was crying in her own way. Alice – my best friend. The pain of our last departure was unbearable. She was my sister, and I had never gotten to say goodbye. This was my chance, and it hurt like hell. I missed her already, and she was still here!

"Bella! I'm going to miss you so much!"

I sobbed louder.

"I promise to call you, as much as I can. You need to keep me up to date on all the gossip of Forks, okay?"

I smiled weakly and nodded.

"Goodbye Alice. You'll always be my best friend- my sister." I whispered into her hair.

She smiled sadly at me.

"We will see each other again, Bella." Alice said, tapping her forehead. "Don't worry.

I nodded sadly, "I'll be counting down the days, Alice."

I took a deep breath and turned to Edward who was watching me cautiously.

My heart throbbed painfully.

"Bella…I" He began but I cut him off.

"Just say goodbye, Edward." I said softly.

He nodded once. "Goodbye, Bella."

"Goodbye." I said. It felt as though someone had stuck my heart in the blender and put it on pulverize.

Cough. Cough. Choke. Cough. "God _damnit_, Edward!" Jasper gasped before taking off towards the car.

I looked to Edward questioningly but he just shrugged innocently, not meeting my eyes.

I turned to Carlisle, "Soon." I repeated. "And make sure to check for Turret's while you're at it."

He chuckled uncomfortably.

It was quiet for a few moments then.

"Well, I guess that's everything then." I sighed. "Thank you again. I hope to see you all again…someday."

Carlisle nodded before he and his family headed toward the cars they had arrived in. I watched them go, knowing in my heart I would never see them again. This was it. I had gotten my goodbyes. There was no reason for them to ever come back. I began crying silently again.

Alice stopped dead in her tracks. She whipped around to face me with a blank expression in her eyes. I heard a sharp intake of breath come from someone behind her, and knew instinctively that it was Edward.

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed.

"Alice? What is it?" I asked, worried.

She smiled brilliantly at me, her vision clearing. "Wipe those tears, Bella. There's been a last minute opening at the hospital. I'll see you tomorrow." She said simply and then walked toward the car and drove off with her family in tow.

_Huh?_


	6. Hot and Cold

**Hey everyone. I'm so sorry for the wait. Things have just been crazy lately. I hope you guys like the chapter. Let me know what you think in a review :D**

Leaving Me Breathless- Hot and Cold

The rest of the evening passed by pretty uneventfully. I was highly distracted by Alice's last words. What did she mean there was an opening at the hospital? What did that have to do with anything? She didn't mean…she couldn't possibly be suggesting…they weren't staying, right? They were leaving. I wasn't going to ever see them again, was I? What did she mean, she'd see me tomorrow?

My head was spinning. I spent the remaining hours of the evening with a smile plastered on my face as I tried to control my uncontrollable emotions. I wanted nothing more than a warm shower and a good night's sleep. I made it through the rest of the party on autopilot. I smiled when necessary, and nodded a lot. I was so ready for it to be over. I nearly did a happy dance once the last guest had taken their coat and exited my house. I leaned against the door and sighed heavily.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Charlie teased.

"I'm going to go shower and then go to bed. You better pray that I forgive you for this someday, or it's off to the nursing home for you." I grumbled as I trudged up the stairs.

I heard him chuckle lowly, "Goodnight, Bells."

"Sure, sure." I called back.

I turned the shower on full blast, as hot it would go and allowed the hot water to work the kinks out of my strained muscles. I thought about everything that had happened that night. I thought about the unexpected visit from the Cullens. I thought about Jasper's weird phobia about appearing weak when he clearly still struggled with the urge to kill me and all the other humans around him, and I thought about Jacob. My Jacob. I hoped he would forgive me. I never meant to hurt his feelings. I was just so shocked to see the Cullens. I had to at least give them the chance to explain themselves. Didn't he understand that? I sighed loudly and stepped out of the shower into the cool air of the bathroom. I got dressed quickly and hurried to my bedroom, eager to sleep.

I opened the door to my bedroom quickly and didn't bother to flick on the light. I was planning on bounding to my bed and burying myself under my comforter. Through the darkness of the room, however, I noticed a figure sitting on the edge of my bed that would indefinitely offer more warmth than my useless old comforter.

"Jacob!" I exclaimed, running less than gracefully to throw myself into his lap. The second my skin hit his, however, I cried out in surprise. I had expected his skin to be warm, like the heat from a nearby campfire. Instead, it was as cold as snow. I gasped and the shock of it all had me flying backwards and onto my bedroom floor. I reached up quickly to the lamp on my end table and flicked it on. The figure was gone. _Had I imagined that?_

A few seconds later, Charlie burst through my bedroom door with a look of concern etched on his features. "Bella!" He exclaimed, rushing to help me pick myself up off the floor. "Are you alright?"

"Um. Yeah, I'm fine." I was still looking around my bedroom, confused.

"What happened?" Charlie demanded.

I blushed profusely. "I didn't turn the light on when I came in here and I went to flop on my bed…I missed." I lied quickly, praying he would buy it.

He did. Charlie shook his head, grinning. "Bella, my teenage klutz."

"Thanks, Dad!" I hissed.

He chuckled. "Well, I was on my way up here to tell you that I was going to drive Renee and Phil back to their hotel in Port Angeles when I heard a large thud. Since you're okay, I guess I'll tell you that I'm leaving now."

"Alright, drive safe." I smiled, knowing that he had to be careful. He was the chief of police after all.

"Always do, Bells." He smiled, playing along. "I'll be back in a bit. Be careful!"

I blushed again. "_Goodnight_, Dad." I hissed.

"Goodnight, Bells." He chuckled.

As soon as he shut the door behind him, I was scrambling to my open window. "Hello?" I whispered quietly, feeling like a complete idiot, but knowing whoever had been in my room would hear me. "Who's out there?"

There was no answer. I sighed and turned back to climb into bed. Maybe I _was_ crazy. I was seeing things. I lay down in my bed and snuggled into my comforter, grabbing my battered copy of Wuthering Heights from my bedside table. I had just opened the front cover when I heard the squeak of my closet door opening. I stood quickly, wanting to be able to defend myself from my attacker, but knowing that the attempt would be futile. The crescent shaped scar on the inside of my palm that James had left me was proof enough of that.

My heart started pounding frantically. It was Victoria. I knew it. It was Victoria, and I was going to die. She was going to snap my neck and then drain me of all of my blood. I just knew it. Actually, scratch that, she would probably drain me of my blood and _then_ snap my neck; that way I would feel every moment of utter agony. My thoughts then turned to Charlie. I would never get to say goodbye. And Renee. And Jacob-my poor Jacob. I would never get to tell him that I was sorry. I wouldn't ever get to say goodbye. And Edward. I would never get to tell him that I would love him eternally.

All of this passed in a second's time. My heart beat erratically in my chest and stopped all together when I saw a pale white head with bronze hair poke itself out from behind my closet door.

"Edward?" I squeaked out.

His green eyes met mine and for a split second I wished that it had been Victoria hiding in my closet. This was going to be infinitesimally more painful.

"Bella." He sighed, cautiously stepping out from behind the door all the way.

I just sat there in a dazed silence. My mouth was open slightly, I was sure. I probably looked like an idiot but I was just so surprised to see him in my room.

I felt the whole tug again. My heart was hammering loudly in my chest, beating twice as fast as before. I was beginning to panic. What was he doing here? I couldn't handle this. I couldn't be alone with him. I would surely lose it and break down right in front of him. This couldn't be happening. I started breathing heavily.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked taking a step toward me. I stuck my hand out, palm toward him, to stop him.

He froze and stood as still as a statue. I looked up into his pitch black eyes – _he hadn't hunted_, I noted – and felt myself finally fall apart. The magnitude of my loss hit me in that moment like a freight train. My breathing spiked. My sight went blurry with my tears. I began to fall but in the instant before my body hit the hardwood of my bedroom floor, a pair of inescapable arms wrapped themselves around my waist.

I let out a whimper. Then a sniffle. Finally, a full blown sob.

"Bella," Edward whispered frantically, "Bella, are you alright?"

I just sobbed some more, clawing at the front of his shirt.

"Bella…shh, Bella. Don't cry." He whispered in my ear, which only brought on more tears.

I wanted to tell him to let me go. I wanted to tell him that he was only making the pain worse, but I couldn't speak. The tears were choking me, and therefore there was no escape from this agony-because that's what this was-pure, unadulterated agony. I barely noticed when he moved to my bed and pulled me closer to his body. I barely noticed how he rubbed my back soothingly and whispered words of comfort into my ear.

I did notice, however, when he pressed a soft, lingering kiss in my hair. I froze against him, biting back a sob. "Please." I whispered through a sob. A human wouldn't have heard me.

"Please what, Bella?" Edward begged. "What do you need?"

"Please, Edward." I whispered again. "Please let me go. Please. It hurts. It hurts too much." I sobbed.

He just held me tighter as my sobs racked my body. I tried to claw at him. I wanted to inflict pain onto his impenetrable skin, but I knew it was impossible. I began thrashing against him. I couldn't do this. He couldn't be holding me. This was bad. This was very, very bad. I wouldn't survive the pain of this. I wouldn't survive the pain of being in his arms again. I wanted to scream but the tears were blocking my airways.

"Bella…shh. It's alright." He said soothingly.

I continued thrashing, clawing, and biting at every inch of him I could reach but he didn't budge. His hands tightened around my back and held me in place. I brought my fists up to pound them into his chest but he caught them in one hand before I could strike him.

"Bella!" He cried, exasperated. "You're going to hurt yourself! You need to calm down."

"Don't touch me." I whispered through my tears. He didn't loosen his grip a bit.

I had to escape this. The pain was bad, but it was worse being in his arms. I couldn't take it any longer.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed, thrashing wildly.

I looked up and his black eyes were widened in surprise. He slowly loosened his grip and in all of my wild thrashing I fell backwards onto the floor, for the second time that night.

He moved quickly to help me up but I shook my head fiercely. "Don't touch me."

The sobs were coming again. Why was he here? Did he really want to torture me like this? It was bad enough that he didn't love me but did he have to be so cruel? He moved closer to me again and I let out a whimper.

"Bella, please." He begged. "At least let me get you off of the floor."

I scrambled quickly to my feet. He sighed. "Must you be so damn stubborn?"

I glared at him. The tears were finally subsiding. "Get out." I growled.

The look on Edward's face almost broke my heart.

"You want me to leave?"

"Yes. I…I can't do this. This is too hard Edward. I know why you're here and I got it. Messaged received. You can go now." I mumbled, wiping my eyes and moving to sit on my bed.

Edward stood where he was but crossed his arms in defiance. "Why do you think I'm here?"

"You're here to tell me that while your family is staying, it doesn't change anything. You're here to tell me that you meant what you said in the woods that day. You're here to tell me that you still…that you still don't want me. That you still…don't love me. I understand." I cleared my throat. "You don't need to say it. Please don't. I knew you were a masochist, Edward, but do you really need to be so cruel?"

It was silent for a moment as we stared at each other. I had meant for my words to be harsh. I had wanted to hurt him- to inflict even a fraction of the pain he had caused me- but the moment the look of pain entered his eyes, I immediately wished I could take it all back.

"Is that how lowly you think of me now, Bella?" He whispered so softly that I had to concentrate a great deal to catch his words. "You honestly believe that I want to hurt you. You think I'm hurting you on…purpose?" He shook his head in disgust. "I know that you know that I'm a monster, Bella. I mean I drink _blood _to survive. I guess I always hoped that you knew I wasn't a _monster._" He shook his head again and ran his hand through his hair. It was something he always did when he was stressed.

I fought back a sob. Yes, I was hurting, but I knew it wasn't fair to make his suffer as well. He shouldn't feel guilty for not loving me. I knew that I didn't ever deserve him. I should just be happy for the few short months of pure bliss that he _had_ given me.

"Edward I…" I began, thinking desperately of a way to take back my hurtful words.

"Forget it, Bella. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here. Of course you wouldn't want to see me. I won't bother you again." He said quickly, making a move towards the window.

"Wait!" I cried out.

He stopped walking and turned back to me slowly. I gasped in surprise. The look on his face was so…painful. The emotions rolling off of him were enough to break my heart all over again.

"Bella. I…" He broke off suddenly and his head whipped towards my window. "I should go." He said hastily.

"What? You can't leave. We weren't done discussing this!"

"I'd rather not discuss anything about us in front of your…uh…boyfriend, Bella." He said quietly.

"Jacob's coming?" I asked loudly. This would be awkward.

"Yeah. He's waiting outside your window right now." He said with an edge to his voice. "I should probably warn you that he isn't too thrilled that I'm in your bedroom." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyways. I'll see you, Bella."

"Will I really see you? Or are you just saying that?"

"You'll see me. I promise." He frowned when he saw the expression on my face. He probably didn't like how much faith I put in his promises. "I'll keep this one, Bella. You'll see." He said fiercely. "I'm not going anywhere. Not again." And with that, he leapt out my window and into the night.

* * *

**So, what did you think? I'm thinking that the next chapter will be some Bella/Jacob drama. I'm kind of missing him. Don't worry, there will be _plenty_ of Edward to come :D Review, please!**


	7. Confrontation

**Hey you guys! I'm back with an update, finally. I should probably take a moment to apologize for the ridiculously long wait. I seemed to have written myself into a corner in the last chapter and couldn't seem to find a way to write myself out of it. I let the story sit for a few weeks, and came back. Then a few weeks turned into a few months. Now it's been over a year. I think I finally got the story going back in the right direction though.**

**I should warn you that while this story is rated T, this chapter flirts with the line between T and M a tad bit. Just in a few spots, and it's mostly just language. I hope you all enjoy, and again, I'm sorry for making you wait as long as you have.**

**Let me know what you think!  
**

* * *

**Leaving Me Breathless**

**Chapter 7 _Confrontation_  
**

"Jacob!" I cried, flinging myself at my boyfriend as soon as he swung his massive form deftly into my bedroom window. "I'm sorry!" I was blubbering now, "I never want to hurt you. You mean so much to me. I-I love you. I-I d-don't…"

I was silenced quickly by Jacob crushing his lips to mine forcefully. I staggered a bit under his weight and he wrapped his free arm around my waist and pressed me against the wall while his other hand held me behind the head to fuse our lips together. It took me a minute to register what was happening. My kisses with Jacob, while they had been wonderful, had never held so much passion and, anger?

"Jake." I mumbled against his lips, pushing against his chest to get his attention.

"Bella" He sighed against my mouth, licking my bottom lip gently.

I couldn't help the slight whimper that escaped my mouth when his tongue slowly entered mine. My mind cleared and soon my hands were fisted in his hair, pulling him even closer to me. Why was I trying to get his attention again? This attention was so much better.

Oh, right. We were still in the middle of a fight.

"Jacob" I mumbled again, and he removed his lips from mine, just to begin placing soft kisses along my neck and jaw line.

"Mmm?" He murmured, kissing a sensitive spot behind my ear.

I gasped. "Aren't you mad at me?" I choked out, unable to catch my breath.

He stopped kissing my neck then and brought his face up to look me in the eyes. "I realized something today, Bells. I realized that I am the better man for you. I know that I can make you happy, and give you everything you want in life. I wasn't so sure of that before. Now, though," He said forcefully, kissing the corner of my mouth. "Now, I will do everything in my power to prove that to you. I will do everything in my power to prove to that filthy bloodsucker that you're _mine._" With that he crashed his lips to mine again and I couldn't help the embarrassing moan that escaped my lips.

Finally we both came up for air and I rested my forehead against his, "You don't need to prove anything to me, Jake. I know that you're the better choice." My mind knew that at least, my heart was still holding tight to Edward. I wasn't about to tell him that though. "I am yours, as you are mine."

He smiled and kissed me again, all the urgency from before replaced with something entirely similar to love.

I jumped apart from him when I heard a loud crashing sound from outside of my window.

Jacob smirked a bit and kissed my forehead. My eyes widened in shock, and I raced to the window to see what all the commotion was. There in my backyard, where a beautiful spruce used to stand, was a pile of wood that used to be the tree. I got there in time to see a flash of bronze, and had all the information I needed.

"Edward was still out there?" I gasped in shock.

Jake shrugged his shoulders and I could see him struggling to keep is face a blank mask.

"You knew he was still there!" I accused in a harsh voice.

"Well, the filthy bloodsucker deserved to know who you belong to now." Jake said evenly, "it isn't my fault he doesn't like to hear about it."

"I'm not a possession, Jake!" I huffed out. "God, I thought you were being all sweet and romantic, and here you were just peeing all over me like a dog!"

His head whipped up at that and I heard a low grumble in his chest.

"Yes, like a dog. I said it." I rolled my eyes.

"Speaking of the leach, care to explain why he was in your bedroom?" He shot back. Oh here we go, there's the anger I was waiting for.

"Not really. I don't see how it is any of your business since you totally abandoned me tonight." I hissed.

"Don't put this on me, Bella. I didn't invite them here." He spat, eyes shining with malice.

"Neither did I, Jacob!" I yelled. "You keep acting like I wanted this! I didn't do anything but host a stupid graduation party. I didn't ask them to come here!"

"You didn't ask them to leave either." He replied lowly.

"I couldn't just ask them to leave without knowing why they came back in the first place." I said defensively.

"Oh bullshit. You didn't ask them to leave because you were too afraid of hurting the bloodsuckers' feelings." He accused, his voice raising. "Well, guess what, Bella, they didn't give two shits about hurting your feelings! They left you here remember? They left you, and who cleaned up the pieces? I did! Who was there for you when they weren't? I was!" He growled out.

"Yeah, like you were there for me tonight, right?" I spat back. "This isn't fair. I didn't ask the Cullens to show up in Forks, alright? I never thought that I would see them again. I don't understand why you keep making me feel like I should feel bad about something that I can't control!" I was starting to get a migraine at this point. There was way too much drama for anyone to handle in one night.

"Bells, if you can't see why I'm so upset about you not asking them to leave, then you must not be the person I thought you were." He said, hurt playing across his features. I just gaped at him. Was he seriously blaming me for the Cullen's appearance?

He sighed heavily. "Look, I can't do this anymore tonight. I'm going to go. I'll call you later."

"Will you at least stay until I fall asleep?" I asked helplessly.

"I don't think that's such a great idea." He said slowly.

I laughed humorlessly. "What you mean to say is that you don't want to. Fine, just leave then." I said bitterly.

"Bells, come on, you know I don't mean it like that." Jake pleaded lightly. "You have to understand how much I hate them for what they did to you."

"Jacob, just go. I'll call you tomorrow." I sighed. "If you want me to that is." I added lightly.

"Why don't I just call you sometime soon?"

I nodded slowly, swallowing around the lump in my throat. "If that's what you want."

"I just think that's what's best for now. I just need some time. I want to sort a few things out." He sighed out, exasperated. "Bye, Bella." He said, coming over and kissing my forehead before leaving through the window.

* * *

I don't know how long I stood in my room for before I finally crawled into bed. I laid there for what felt like hours, staring at my ceiling and contemplating the events of the night.

Who did these vampires think they were? Why was my safety so important to them all of a sudden? Who were they to come barging back into my life after so much time? Who was HE to come back at all after what he did? Now I was hurting Jacob, and fighting with him - over them! The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Before I knew what I was doing, I was up, thrusting my feet into my sneakers and racing down the stairs and into the night.

Ten minutes later I was pulling down a very familiar drive in my beat up old Chevy. I cut the engine quickly when I neared the house and stormed up the front porch steps. I raised my fist up to knock but stumbled back, startled, when the door swung open before I could.

I quickly composed myself before hissing out a "Where is he?" to a surprised Jasper.

"Bella, I know you're angry. Maybe you should calm down a bit before you talk to him." Jasper said calmly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged out of his grasp immediately. "I don't have time for your mind games right now, Jasper." I said, brushing past him and taking the stairs two at a time. I hesitated outside his door for a split second before throwing it open and slamming it shut behind me.

"Bella." Edward said politely, standing from his position on his black leather sofa. I was distracted by the sight of it there. I had thought that he would have taken it with them when they left. Did they leave all their possessions here after they left me? I slowly let my gaze wander around his room. It looked exactly as it since I had last been in there almost 2 years earlier. It was as if he'd never left. Then my gaze landed on him.

"Why?" I spat out angrily.

"Excuse me?" He asked, confusion written across his face.

"You heard me. Why? Why are you here?"

"Bella, I" He began with a sigh.

"You're all about broken promises, aren't you?" I yelled. "You promised that you wouldn't leave me when we were in Phoenix, and then you promised it would be like you never existed!"

"Bella, your safety is" He tried again.

"And then you just waltz back in here, all of you, like you never abandoned me." I shouted, on a roll now.

"You're angry. I knew this was a bad idea." He muttered, dragging a hand through his unruly hair.

"Yes I'm angry, damn it! What? Did you expect my 'human, sieve- like memory' would forget everything that fast? Or were your distractions just not as appealing anymore?" I spat out angrily. My hands were trembling at the confrontation but I ignored them.

"I understand that you're angry, but Bella, please calm down. Let's talk about this rationally." Edward said in what I knew was his dazzling voice. It wasn't working this time. I was too upset.

"Fuck being rational, Edward!" I yelled. His eyebrows shot up to his forehead in surprise. I'd never talked to him like that before. "For once in your life, for once in your EXISTENCE, will you just get fucking angry? Yell, scream, do SOMETHING other than just stand there and tell me to calm down!"

He just stared at me for a moment before sitting back down on the leather couch and pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked like he was trying to contain his anger, which just ticked me off further. I was riled up. I wanted a fight. I was craving it, and he was the perfect person to give me one. After a few more moments, he finally spoke. "I see your boyfriend's foul language has rubbed off on you in my absence."

"Yeah, well I guess you can thank yourself for that one, can't you?" I sneered. I was tired of playing the sad victim. He needed to know how badly he'd hurt me.

"Damn it, Bella! You think this was my idea?" He growled, jumping back up from the couch. His eyes were darkening slowly. He was getting angry. Good. "Do you think I wanted to come back for this? To come back to see you already moved on with some…mutt?" He shouted.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached my hand out and slapped him. Hard. I knew it didn't hurt him, but I think I got my point of cross. Edward's eyes widened in shock first, and then anger.

"Don't you dare!" I exclaimed, pointing my finger in his face. "You don't get to be angry at me for moving on. You left me! You didn't want me anymore. You don't get to be upset that I found someone who loves me, who wants me when you didn't."

"Love, huh?" He sneered back in a way that was so unlike my Edward. I didn't even know the man standing in front of me. "I've been gone all of what five minutes and you already have someone sleeping in your bed. That's not love, Bella."

"Are you spying on me?" I gasped. "And it is NONE of your business who sleeps in my room anymore. You gave up that right the day you left me stranded in the woods!"

"Of course I'm not spying on you, silly girl." He replied harshly. "His awful stench was everywhere in there tonight."

"Yes, well, his 'awful stench' is welcome there." I shot back.

"Yes. Well it makes sense. You are his, as he is yours, correct?" He tossed my earlier words shared with Jacob back in my face.

For a moment I almost felt bad for him having heard that. But then I remembered how he shouldn't even care. He didn't love me. He didn't want me. He had made that perfectly clear. I sighed, the fight leaving my body slowly.

"Look, Edward. I came here to find out exactly what you're all doing here. I know you said you're worried about Victoria, but Jacob can handle that. I know he will protect me. I trust him…I love him." I said quietly.

All was quiet in the house. Nothing moved. The only thing I could hear was my steady breathing, and Edward's lack of breathing at all. I snuck a peak at his face, and it looked as if I had slapped him again, only this time, it looked like he felt it.

A knock on the door broke the silence. Jasper's head popped in and then the rest of his body followed through the open door into the room. "Bella, it's late. You need to sleep. You've had an eventful day. Why don't I walk you to your car?" He said politely.

I nodded slowly and turned to follow him.

"Bella." Edward called out quietly behind me. I turned to face him. A look of determination was planted firmly into the planes of his face. "This doesn't change anything. I said I wasn't going anywhere, and that is one promise I intend to keep."

I stared at him for a moment before replying. "Prove it." And with that, I followed Jasper out the door and back to my beat up Chevy.

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**Well, that's it for now. Let's hope that the next update won't take as long to get to you guys as this one did! Leave a review if you'd like :)**


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